Automatic sprinkler



Jan. 29,1929. 1,700,591

A. J. LOE PS|NGER AUTOMATiC SPRINKLER Filed April 7, 1922 L i \\F:'\:& a 2 5-? E45 s 2 If 4 ;/7 /6 1 s 7 A/berf fl oeposz zz er I INV NTOR BY a W, M K

I ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 2 9, 1929.

UNITED STATES PA ENT; oFF1c ALBERT J. LOEPSINGER, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE AS- SIGNMENTS, T GENERAL FIRE EXTLNGUISHER COMPANY; OF- PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER.

Application filed April 7,

strut hollow and to fill it with a liquid asso-- ciated usually with a gas or vapor whose expansion will shatter the strut when the predetermined operating temperature is reached. In such cases the glass strut is a sealed bulb but the making of this bulb so that its fracture will occur...with the necessary shattering action and with the desired certainty, is a matter of much difliculty. As the bulb hitherto has constituted the strut, its walls have. had to be rather thick.., The thickness both makes theglass harder to shatter, and, somewhat contrarily, makes it more likely to shatter prematurely. The latter difficulty results from the internal stresses that are set up within the glass, in its cooling from the sealing operation, where nearby portions of the glass are respectively at the low temperature of liquefaction of the contents, and at the high temperature of plasticity of glass. It

is among the objects of the present invention to reduce these various difliculties. and to improve the situation in other respects. This is accomplished by making separate containers, one of which serves as the strut, and is not subject to, internal stresses due to cooling from the sealing; and the other of which serves only as the container for the expansible liquid and can therefore be made in any of various more desirable shapes, sizes and ar- 40 rangements. As the whole of the material for causing the fracture is contained within thebulb, the space surrounding it within the strut may either be empty or may be provided with a superior heat absorbing and conduct- 145 ing material for carrying a rise of temperature rapidly into the walls of the internal container. ,Moreover those walls of the internal container may be placed so close to the walls of the strut that there is little delay in transmission of heat. Furthermore they may be shaped so that the fracturing agent is set so far apart from the valve that the cooling effect of water in the sprinkler system 1922. Serial No. 550,304. i

does not counteract heat that may be rece1ved from the surrounding atmosphere when a fire occurs. Furthermore it becomes bending stress, thus making possible a reduc-' tion of the quantity fracturing agent and of the size of its container, with consequent possible reduction, of diameter of the tubular strut.

All of these features, or such of them as it may be desired to employ in combination,

tend toward improvementin automatic sprinklers in ithe dlrectlon of certainty of action; quickness of. response, when the redetermined temperature is reached; relia ility, in

not going off too soon, and precision of temperature of action; and the accomplishing of these results with a' minimum of material in strut and contents. An incidental feature of the invent-ion is the providing of means for collecting and c'onductingheat from an area at a little distance from the fracturing agent, to raise its temperature the more quickly when the regional temperature rises; and this means may subsequently act as a deflector of the fire-extinguishing agent discharging from the sprinkler. Other objects such as means for ready adjustment of the several parts, the provision of heat-insulating material toprevent loss of effective heat, and the arrangement and, construction of the various elements will be set forth as the description develops.

These objects are attained by providing a tubular strut of frangible material for transmitting the holding force of the yoke to the valve, there being a suitable heat-gathering plate or deflector arranged at the yoke end of this strut to overhang it, so that the gath ering of heat and its flow into upper end is expedited, so far as the quickness with which contents approach the temperature of the surrounding air is concerned. Within this tube is a container for the whole of the fracturing agent, in the shape of a relatively small bulb with elongated neck. The neck may serve as the supporting standard of the container, in that its end rests on the valve. The bulb is of a diameter closely approximating the diameter of the tubular cylinder surrounding it, so that but little space exists .between the circumference of the bulbs body and the cylindrical Wall, thereby facilitating the transfer of heat from one to the other. And b virtue of the extended neck, the bulb is at t at end of the strut chamber which is in proximity to the heat gathering plate. Because of the nearness of the body end,

. which contains most of the expansible fluid,

'to the'heat athering plate, and the-relative size ofthe Imlb to the cylinder, the empty space in the latter is not objectionable; but it is afurther feature that this space may be filled with a quantity of good heat conducting material. A block of heat-insulating material may be placed between the heat gathering plate and an adjusting screw threaded through the apex of the yoke. This screw affords a ready means for setting the valve in a desired position under such pressure as ma be needed. The sprinkler may be equippe with the ordinary fluid deflector at its top, or the heat gathering plate may be so constructed as to serve a double function, namely, concentrating the heat prior to the opening of the sprinkler, and spreading the discharge of the fire-extinguishing agent therefrom after the sprinkler opens. It is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expressionin the appended claims, whatever features-of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.

In the drawingsi Figure 1 is an elevation in medial section of an automatic sprinkler embodying the invention showing the arrangement and relation of the frangible members, and the heatgathering plate; f

Figure 2 is a similar view, showing the plate modified to serve also as a deflector, and showing the space between the frangible members filled with heat-conducting material; and

Figure 3 is a cross section through the strut and bulb as on line- 33 of Figure 1, showing a shape of strut that may be employed.

Referring to the drawings, the sprinkler shown embodies a body portion 1 having a frame 2 preferably screwed into the body portion. A flexible diaphragm 3 having a central opening therein, and properly secured in place, pr ferably by clamping the outer edge thereof etween the body portion 1 and the frame 2, carries the seat 4 for the valve 5. This valve 5 is preferably made of non-corrosive material, and a. metal, cap 6 rests thereon. k

A frangible member 7 constitutinga strut, 7 preferably made of glass and in tubular form, as one end bearing against the metal cap 6.

and the frangible member 7 constituting a strut interposed between the valve and the frame to hold the valve to its seat.

In the. construction shown, however, an adjusting screw 9 is empIOyed the outer end of the frame being provided with a screwthreaded boss 10 to receive the same. Preferably a block of heat-insulating materialll is placed between the metallic plate 8 and the end of the adjusting screw. As shown in Figure 1, the deflector 12 is secured to the adjusting screw 9 on the outside of the frame 2, and so that said adjusting screw may be turned by turning the deflector. Whenthe valve has been properly adjusted to its seat the adjusting screw may be held in its adjusted position by a cross-pin 13 passed through said screw and the boss 10.

A second frangible member 14, constituting a container for the fracturing agent, prefcrably in the form of a glass bulb having an elongated neck 15 is-located within the frangible member 7. The neck 15 is preferably made of considerable length as shown, as this facilitates the proper filling and sealing of the frangible member 14, and provides so that its body or bulb portion may be positioned at or. near that end of the frangible strut 7 at which the metallic plate 8 is located and so that the heat from said plate will the more readily and quickly reach said bulb and affeet the whole of its contents.

Referring now to Figure 2, the sprinkler therein shown is the same in its general construction as the sprinkler shown in Figure 1. The metallic plate 8 is made in the form of a deflector and is secured to the inner end of the adjusting screw 9, which may be turned by means of theplate to adjust the valve to its seat. When the valve has been properly adjusted the screw may be held in its adjusted position by a cross-pin 13.

In this construction the block of i sulating material may be omitted, as there. is placed in the space between the frangible tubular strut 7 and the frangible container 14 and plate 8,

a quantity of heat-conducting material 16, which may consist of metal filings, graphite, or other suitable material. It is preferable to fill this space completely with the heat-conducting material, as this facilitates the conduction of heat to the inner frangible vessel, 'but if desired a lesser quantity of conducting material may be employed and the space only partially filled therewith. The frangible .vessel 14, containing the expansible contents, has nothing to do with holding the valve closed and is therefore enmember for holding the valve closed such member may be made or designed to resist end pressure as a strut and to break easily under lateral pressure. It may be made in the form of a cylinder, as shown, thereby providing relatively great strength in such valveholding member and one which will readily withstand any strain to which it may be subjected. Moreover, as this valve-holding frangible member may thus be of a simple cylindrical form, such member may be readily moulded, and may thus, if desired, be made of some frangible material other than glass.

And it may have the combination of strut strength and weakness in bending stresses indicated at 7 in Figure 3.

When the sprinkler is subjected to, the action of the requisite amount of heat, which may be determined by the character of the contents of the frangible member 14, the expansion of such contents will burst the frangible members l land 7, thereby releasing the valve and letting the sprinkler open.

It is preferred that the character of the contents of the frangible member 14 shall be such that when said member is fractured by the expansion of such contents an explosion will take place, as by. such explosive action the shattering of both of the frangible members and the dislodgment of the valve-holding member, and the consequent release of the valve, is rendered more certain. To that end the contents may be as explained in the United States patents granted to me Nos. 1,290,602 and 1,290,762.

As will be understood, the employment of the metallic plate 8 serves to collect the heat and conduct the same to the frangible members and to the contents of the frangible member 14,. thereby facilitating the expansive or explosive action of such contents.

In the construction shown in Figure 1 when the valve-holding frangible member 7 is shattered or dislodged the metallic plate 8 is released and thrown out, and the water issuingfrom the opened nozzle is deflected and distributed by the deflector 12. In the construction shown in Figure 2 the metallic plate 8 performs not only the function of collecting and conducting heat to the frangible member, but also the function of a deflector when the sprinkler opens, said plate being properly formed to act as such deflector and being secured to the frame of the sprinkler for this purpose.

The separation of the strut member from v the bursting member not only permits the use of a bursting member which is smaller than it could be if the strut were the container of the bursting.charge,'it also affords other ad distance from' the water cooled valve; that it is, or may be, close to the thermally sensitive heat gathering plate 8 or 8 which keeps it in harmony with external air, as regards tem perature, and its bursting force is concentrated at one place on the strut. This last is especially true if the remaining space in the tubular strut is filled with a solid material as in Figure 2. 4

I claim as my invention:

1. An automatic sprinkler embodying a nozzle, a deflector, and a frangible container, adapted to release the sprinkler by bursting from expansion of material within it when heated; combined with a plate of good heat conducting material supported by said container, extending outward from close proximity to said container, arranged with a relatively large exposed surface to receive heat rapidly and adapted to conduct such heat to the container and to fall out of the path of the sprayfrom the nozzle upon fracture of said container. I

2. An automatic sprinkler 'embodyin a nozzle, a deflector, and a frangible mem er containing expansive material adapted to break said member when heated, thereby to release the sprinkler; and a plate of good heat conducting material arranged in proximity to said frangible member supported thereby and extending radially from the axis in all directions beyond it, whereby high temperature in the adjacent region is quickly transmitted to said member and adapted to fall out of the path of the spray from the nozzle upon fracture of said frangible member.

3. An automatic sprinkler embodying a nozzle, a deflector, and a frangible member containing expansive material; a second frangible member comprising an open ended tube surrounding it and constituting a strut holding the sprinkler closed; a plate of heat conducting material reaching out from the end of the tube into the region around said frangible members and adapted to fall out of the path of the spray from the nozzleupon fracture of said tube; and heat conducting material within the tube.

4. An automatic sprinkler embodying, for holding its valve closed, a frangible strut adapted by its shape to resist compression stresses in the direction of its axis relatively sponsive means within the strut ada ted to apply a transverse stress thereto when eated.

6. An automatic sprinkler embodying, for holding its valve closed, a cylindrical strut of frangible material, having grooves along its surfaces in the direction of its axis whereby it is made relatively weak against transverse stresses, combined with heat responsive means Within the strut adapted to apply a transverse stress thereto when heated.

Signed at Providence, Rhode Island, this 4th day of April, 1922.

ALBERT J. LOEPSINGER. 

